Compliance monitoring for small businesses
Small businesses can’t afford compliance staff, so they run on hope: hope the privacy law doesn’t apply to them, hope the employment rules didn’t change, hope the industry regulator isn’t looking. Meanwhile the rules genuinely do change constantly.
This service is a monthly watch: for each client’s jurisdiction and industry, what changed, what plausibly applies, and what questions to take to their lawyer. You’re the radar, not the law firm.
The job
Onboard each client with a profile: where they operate, what they sell, headcount, data they collect. Monthly, you run the watch (regulatory news, privacy rules, employment-law changes, sector-specific requirements) and deliver a short brief: three to seven items, each with "why this might apply to you" and "what to ask your attorney or accountant."
The deliverable’s tone is the product: plain language, no panic, no pretending to be counsel. Clients renew because the brief replaces a vague anxiety with a short list.
Who it suits
Detail-readers: paralegals, former HR and operations people, bookkeepers expanding their service line. Bookkeepers have a real edge; they already have the trust and the monthly rhythm.
Startup cost and tools
| What | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Engine calls per client per month | ~$0.50–$1.00 | News watch ($0.08), plus privacy/employment/sector checks ($0.12–$0.15 each) as profiles require |
| Site + delivery | $0–$45/mo | Standard stack |
Engine prices are the live public catalog prices, the same sheet agents pay. No subscription is required to use them.
The licensing question
The line to respect is unauthorized practice of law: you summarize what rules exist and flag what may apply; you don’t interpret how the law resolves a client’s specific situation, and every brief says whose job that is (their attorney’s). Kept there, regulatory-information services are a normal, lawful publishing business. HR-adjacent advice has equivalent lines; same discipline.
How the engine does the heavy lifting
Jurisdiction-aware checks across privacy, employment, corporate, cyber, ESG, and sector rules, plus enforcement-news monitoring.
/api/comply/news$0.08Regulatory intelligence and enforcement news/api/comply/privacy$0.15Data privacy law by jurisdiction/api/comply/employment$0.15Employment law and HR compliance/api/comply/sector$0.15Industry-specific regulatory complianceYour first customer in 30 days
- Pick one industry you know (restaurants, e-commerce, home services) and build the monthly brief template for it.
- Produce a real sample brief for a fictional client and show it to two small-business owners and one attorney. The attorney conversation matters twice: it sharpens your lines and often produces your first referral partner.
- Price monthly, modestly, and sell the first three subscriptions in your own network.
- End every brief with the attorney-question list. It’s your compliance posture and your value proof in one section.
Hand this to your assistant
This blueprint has a machine-readable page with the current endpoints, prices, and setup steps. Paste this into Claude, ChatGPT, or any assistant that can fetch a URL:
Machine page: https://pulse.theaslangroupllc.com/fieldguide/compliance-monitoring-smb.json
Start this one
The engines are pay-per-call, no subscription. Agents pay per call over x402 (USDC on Base or Solana). If you're a human, get a starter key: it takes about a minute, includes a $0.25 trial balance, and tops up by card (Stripe) or USDC. No crypto wallet required. Prefer email? Write to info@theaslangroupllc.com with the subject "Starter key: compliance-monitoring-smb" and we'll provision one by hand, usually the same day.
The Field Guide book, with all 75 blueprints expanded, is in progress. The hub is free either way.